


Shadows in the Stars

by Etched_in_Fire



Series: Star Fox: Fate's Decree [15]
Category: Star Fox Series
Genre: Action/Adventure, Gen, Krazoa, Original Character(s), Outer Space, Science Fiction
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-09-05
Updated: 2016-12-21
Packaged: 2018-08-13 06:12:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 19,987
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7965622
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Etched_in_Fire/pseuds/Etched_in_Fire
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>14 ALW -- Two years have ticked by since the Anglar Blitz, and the Star Fox team is the strongest it's ever been.  On a trip to Katina that ought to have been easy and (relatively) painless, the team is confronted by familiar ships and a declaration of war.  An old ally appears, broadcasting to the entirety of the Cornerian Empire that he has "uncovered the truths of the Lylat System".  Chaos erupts.  Conspiracies arise.  Nightmares begin.  It seems that there is no rest for heroes.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. A Once in a Lifetime Opportunity

   It had been against his better judgement to open up recruitment for the Star Fox team, but Fox had done so knowing that that his emails were going to inevitably become overwhelmed by messages.  He had agreed to interview two candidates he had dubbed the most qualified for the opened positions on the team.  A glance over their applications with a spoon stuck comically out of his mouth, the vulpine rubbed his chin.  _It’ll be hard to accept just one of them,_ he mused to himself, removing the spoon and using it to scoop up another mountain of Frosty Fichina Flakes.

             The first of the two was a Cornerian Defense Force pilot, a girl by the name of Miyu Lynx.  She was young, in her early twenties, with a record of being on the defense force during the Aparoid Invasion.  Her medals made her distinguished above the others of the CDF that had applied, and Krystal had mentioned having a “good vibe” about her when she overlooked the feline’s application.   Fox admitted the lynx looked tough enough to handle the job… but personality mattered almost as much as aptitude, and he wanted to make sure she would jive well even with abrasive, but lovable, idiots like Falco.

             The second of the candidates was a fluffy, white-furred dog by the name of Fay Spaniel, who was rumored to be Cornelius Pepper’s niece.  Fox had never heard of her before, but he did not wave the rumor off as being false either.  The former General had been an enigmatic man even before the Aparoids had corrupted him—Fox would have been surprised if he had his family data lying around for anyone to grab (especially Andross sympathizers).  Fay was clearly less experienced than Miyu, only having just graduated from the Cornerian Flight Academy at the age of eighteen years old.  But there was a spark in her eye that he liked, and her flight score was beyond impressive, matching even Bill Grey’s when he had exited the academy.

             Fox leaned back into his chair, glancing over at where Falco and Slippy were playing each other in a fighting game.  His own hubris had nearly made these lazy days gone for good.  He couldn’t believe what his selfishness had done to the team the years prior to the Anglar Blitz.  It had been a reminder that he was still growing as a leader, still learning.

             “I hope you two have the new Arwings done if you’re gonna be playing that all day,” Fox said to them with a teasing smirk. “Our two potential recruits are coming in today for their interviews.”

             “Yeah, yeah, Foxy, it’s all been taken care of,” Falco said without even looking back at him.  His character gave Slippy a bop on the head, but was answered with a nasty kick to his kneecap. “HEY!  That’s not playing fair, you don’t go for the knees, dude!”

             “All’s fair in war, Falco!” Slippy taunted back with surprising savagery.

             “It’s like we have two children on this ship,” Amanda commented from where she was sitting on the couch, reading her book. “But don’t worry Fox, I double-checked the Arwings and they’re looking awesome.”

             “Good to hear, Amanda,” Fox replied, “Nice to see someone’s pulling their weight around here.” He made a pointed look at Slippy and Falco, who were still enraptured by their video game.

             Amanda had come to them after the Anglar Blitz, eager to join the team.  Fox had not been convinced her joining was a good idea, but her devotion to Slippy had baffled him.  Knowing his friend would have been heartbroken if he had denied Amanda entry into the team, he had permitted her to join.  In reality, Fox had not thought the pink toad would pass any of the training—she was fresh to combat, and while that made her weak in terms of physical combat, she was an excellent enough pilot and had no issues adapting.  She and Slippy were still engaged—their wedding date still pending, much to Beltino’s dismay (he called them weekly to see if they were “done adventuring and wanted to settle down finally”).

             “I’m glad we’re finally getting more girls on the team,” Krystal was nearly purring with excitement, her arms folded across her chest.  “It’ll be a nice…” She tossed Slippy and Falco a glance. “… _Balance_ , I think.” Since she had come back, she had allowed her hair to grow out a tad longer and had taken to braiding it back.  A calm, peacefulness had come over her since the Blitz had ended… and Fox admitted it was a nice change.

             “Yeah, it’ll be nice having another person to clean up the lounge,” Falco chortled and Fox could almost feel the vixen’s wrath flare up. 

             “Careful, Falco, or I may ask Fox to reconsider turning down Katt’s application…” Krystal said coyly.

             “SHE DID WHAT?” Falco’s voice was a near shrill scream. “Oh you’ve got to be kidding me…”

             “Of course Katt applied,” Fox said with a chuckle, “She applies every other month… even when we don’t have positions available!”

             “And you turned her down?” Falco asked, having set down his controller.  Slippy was gleefully beating up his character, cackling all the while… but the bird did not seem to take note.  “This isn’t a joke right…”

             “You’re fine,” Fox reassured him. “I didn’t think she was a good fit for the team, and I know you and her have…” What was the word he was looking for… “ _History…_ ”

             “That’s putting it mildly,” Krystal remarked.

             “Thanks, bud,” Falco wiped his brow with what Fox couldn’t decide was overdramatic relief or actual relief.  He took a gander at the TV screen, saw Slippy had won, and shot the toad a sour look.

             Fox chuckled and leaned back into his chair, watching the radar.  The Great Fox II was adrift in space, a lazy pace as they made their way across the Lylat System.  Katina was their destination, a frontier planet that reminded Fox a lot of his childhood home on Papetoon.  Miyu and Fay were both set to board the Great Fox II from Katina—Miyu was wrapping up her four-year post there while Fay had agreed to travel out for simplicity’s sake.  The brown planet was growing closer in the front window, Fox noticed and he smiled to himself. 

             _It’s almost time to meet the new recruits._

             His emerald eyes strayed to the command chair, where Peppy had often sat during his time on the team.  With the former General Pepper still under heavy care from his brief time as a slave to the aparoids, the reins of Cornerian leadership had passed to his second-in-command, a feisty lady by the name of Aileen Cotton.  That had been two years ago, when Peppy had stepped aside from acting General at the conclusion of the Anglar Blitz... only to be forced back into the role over the last few months (something about Pepper's will and some paperwork that had not been sorted through yet) when General Cotton and her armada had gone missing.  It had made intergalactic news, and though foul play was suspected, no investigation had turned up anything on the missing general.  Fox saw Peppy often on the television, microphones forced into his face as he repeated the words that he had practiced a million times. 

             "There has not been any progress in the investigation regarding General Cotton and no, Venom's recent split from the Cornerian Empire has nothing to do with her absence."

              Fox admitted he was waiting every day for the call.  The one he knew Peppy was desperately trying not to make.  The team had enjoyed plenty of missions since the Anglar Blitz, and they were cruising for a vacation before too long.  Once they had gotten their newest recruit, that is. Regardless, recent tumultuous events meant Peppy was absent from their ship, and there was an evident void.  Fox missed the old timer’s wisecracks and advice… something about the empty chair seemed to make the mothership lonelier, even with the inclusion of Amanda on the team.  Fox scratched his chin, wondering how his friend was holding up in Cornerian political meetings.  _There was a lot of discord when Peppy decided to stay.  I hope the politicians aren’t giving him too much grief._  

             “How will we be going about this?” Krystal asked him. “Are we meeting them on the planet or are they coming up here?”

             “A bit of both, I think,” Fox replied, “I want to get a good gauge of their character.”

             “Wow, we’re giving a full on tour of the Great Fox?” Amanda asked, eye sparkling with delight. “Maybe someone will finally start appreciating the fact that I’ve been cleaning!”

             “I already appreciate you,” Falco cut in with a swagger and a comically bow.  Amanda ‘harrumphed’ and folded her arms across her chest.

             “Is that why you leave your dirty socks everywhere?  Even the hanger?” Amanda quirked a brow at him.

             “That wasn’t me!” Falco argued.

             “He’s lying,” Krystal smirked confidently, tapping two fingers to her temple.

             “This banter could go on for hours,” Fox chuckled, “So I’m cutting it off.  We’ll be landing the Great Fox into the local hanger, where Miyu and Fay are waiting for us.  I want to do a group interview, that way we can see how they react to us and how they act when they’re with their rival for the position.”

             “You’ve really thought this through.  I’m impressed,” Falco remarked. “You’re the boss.  Let’s do this.”

             Fox left ROB64 to the landing process.  Katina swelled before them as they drew near, its foreign landscape vast and rocky.  As they broke into the atmosphere, he let his mind give into the nostalgia.  Katina had been a place visited during many of their grander adventures.  It was bizarre how far the planet’s development had come since the Lylat Wars, when only a few colony cities existed.  Now, Katina was shaping up to become a miniature Corneria, albeit with a more arid climate.  The Anglar Blitz and the Aparoid Invasion had done little to sway the determined Lylatians from their goal of thriving and expanding their horizons.

             The Great Fox II was a hulking mass, but ROB handled it was such ease and precision that it might as well have been a graceful swan descending from space.  Bountiful yet bizarre forests sprang into view—mushrooms that made even the tallest buildings in Corneria City seem tiny greeted them as they veered over the Katinan landscape.  A few of the larger ones caused ROB64 to incline the mothership upwards as to not scrape the bottom of the spacecraft onto the flora. 

             “What do you think they taste like?” Falco asked.

             “Poisonous,” Slippy said.

             “How does that taste?” Falco made a face.

             “Deadly,” Slippy shrugged.

             Katina City was certainly not as big as Corneria City, but Fox gave a low whistle when he saw how much it had developed.  Spread over the Katinan frontier, it had become a hub for families and people seeking a calm, city life. 

             “MESSAGE INCOMING…” ROB64 chimed and Fox let it through with the click of a button.

             “This is the Katinan CDF.  Requesting identification,” a voice chimed over the intercom.  Fox glanced at the pilot’s face on the overhead screen, not recognizing the man at all.

             “This is Fox McCloud of the Star Fox Team. We request to land in Hanger 50.”

             “Roger that.  Welcome to Katina City.  We’ve been expecting you guys,” the pilot said after a moment.

             A Cornerian Defense Force ship zipped by and Fox nodded to ROB64 to begin the landing process.  The Great Fox II was given clearance to land in the largest hanger available in the Katina City airbase.  As the mothership lurched to a stop in the hanger, Falco was the first one to the door, practically bouncing with excitement.  Slippy and Amanda were not too far behind, the latter chatting something about having never been to Katina in her whole life.  Krystal was radiant as she walked down the narrow corridor to the boarding area, linking her arm into Fox’s and giving him a pleasant smile.  Her staff hung on her back, shortened in its travel mode.  She had fashioned herself a strap that would keep it on her during their missions, rather than using a blaster.  Falco had asked her why and she had merely smiled at him.  Fox did not have to wonder—the Sauria Incident had enlightened him on the powers and strength of what Krystal called “the Old World”.  The staff was possibly more useful than a blaster at any rate.

             “Let’s gooooo!” Falco said, adjusting his headband before he flung the door open.  “Katina City, here we come!”

             “This isn’t a vacation, Falco,” Fox reminded him gently but the bird was already out the door.

Fox donned his sunglasses before he stepped out, Lylat’s rays exceptionally bright on that particular day.  Katina’s proximity to Solar no doubt contributed to the heat—suddenly the vulpine was very much regretting keeping his jacket on.  A few officers greeted them as they walked into the terminal, guiding them to where they would need to file paperwork.  Since the Anglar Blitz, security had doubled, even in civilian locations.  Fox sighed as a clipboard was thrusted into his arms.

             _Save the world a few times and people still think you may be here to blow everything up…_

A glance at the clock and he wondered if the two would-be recruits were already in the lobby waiting for them…

 

 

* * *

 

           

             Miyu Lynx did not consider herself to be the sort of person that got nervous easily.  Having stared the Aparoid Invasion in the face as well as the Anglar Blitz, she had seen her fair share of combat.  Her CDF ship was scraped from war and she had seen her comrades shot down in battle.  Some had made it… some had not.  But even when she was pulling her teammates from the wreckage of their own ships, Miyu had remained calm.  Everything was a procedure she had studied for rigorously.  Nothing was going to be a surprise—she had learned everything she could about war and she was ready for anything.

             She was surprised at how her nerves made her fingers twitch as she sat in wait.  On a typical day, she would wear her CDF outfit, but for the interview, she had shirked it for something a bit more suitable.  A plain, dark red shirt was underneath her black jacket, her pants neatly tucked into her boots.  The Katinan heat did not bug her—she had lived here most of her life.

Her eyes followed the people as they came and went from the hanger.  The CDF officers assigned for security did not pay her any mind.  A few of them shot her suspicious looks but she was certain she did not know them. Leaving the CDF for a mercenary group was likely to raise the ire of a few of her military friends, but she had been prepared for that since the day she had applied.  Joining the Star Fox team had been her dream since even before the Lylat Wars—hearing of their escapades and daring missions.  The CDF had been her parent’s choice—their family had a long history of serving in the Cornerian military.  It was the closest she had fathomed of getting into the Star Fox team… until she had seen that they were recruiting.

             “Hiya,” a perky voice interrupted her thoughts and the lynx eyed the woman with a questioning gaze.

             The voice belonged to a white-furred dog, her coat fluffy and abundant in curls.  A red ribbon decorate the back of her head, sticking out boldly behind her drooping ears.  Her smile was anything but soft—it was ecstatic, flashy, and full of a vigor that could power all of downtown Corneria City.  A light pink blouse covered her curves, ruffled at the collar.  Her irises glittered like sapphires, twinkling as if they were the veil to a million stars.  Miyu shifted her weight, one of her overly large ears flicking to the side.

             “Is this seat taken?” the strange dog asked, gesturing to the spot next to Miyu on the bench.

             “Uhhh no, go right ahead,” Miyu scooted over and the dog sat down with a comical bounce and the wag of her tail.

             “Thanks!” the fluffy white dog beamed at her. “I really like your earring!  It’s super cute!”

             Cute was not entirely what Miyu had been going for, but she appreciated the comment regardless.  She knew she would have been rude to disagree, so the lynx smiled, gave a small shrug and said, “Thanks.”

           The way that the girl radiated was intriguing.  Most of the Katinans were hard-eyed and focused on development.  The frontier had steeled the settlers here, as had the Cornerian way of life.  They lived under the empire, and though the military leadership tried to avoid such bold words, Miyu understood it for what it was.  The propaganda of space exploration and settlement was to further the power and wealth of the homeworld, the jewel of the Lylat System.  Even when one was born on Katina, they were still Cornerian in a sense.  The government had done its job in securing unity… For the most part.  There were, of course, those who did not agree, though most of their corpses were shriveled to nothing in the corners of space, along with Andross’s malice.

          “So, are you waiting for someone too?” the dog asked her, smiling at a small bulldog child as he waved bashfully at her, tugged along by his mother.

          “Yeah,” Miyu replied. “They should be here any minute now.”

          “Haha, same here.  I was almost running late myself, had to catch a transport carrier from Corneria City,” the dog gave a small chuckle, her voice like bells across a sunny Sunday afternoon.

         “Corneria City?  That’s not a short commute,” Miyu said, feeling the tips of her tufted ears burn under the dog’s pure gaze. “Have you ever been to Katina before?”

         “Oh sure, loads of times,” the fluffy dog replied. “But most of my life was spent on Corneria.  My uncle was sort of overprotective of me.”

         “Uncles will do that,” Miyu said, fondly thinking of her family.  They were going to be upset with her if she left but… She could only uphold tradition for so long.  Space called to her, deep in her bones and deeper in her heart. 

         “What’s your name?” the dog asked her jovially.

         “Miyu Lynx,” came the reply before she could stop herself.  A hand was extended for her to shake and she did with a flush in her cheeks, hot and red as Solar’s lava oceans. 

         “Fay Spaniel,” she replied, “It’s nice to meet you, Miyu!”

         “Same,” Miyu answered, feeling awkward and yet her heart felt light.  She found herself smiling at the atmosphere of the airport, from the bustle of the other Lylatians to the call of crafts taking off.  A mouse hurried by with his suitcase in hand, late for his flight.  On a normal day, she might have been irritated at the noises… but today, it was a calming ambiance.  Maybe it was exactly what she had needed before her interview…

         The doors slid open and a figure cut from the most dashing of posters waltzed into the lobby, donned in his signature jacket over a green flight suit.  Sunglasses made him only seem that much cooler in her eyes, and Miyu did everything she could to maintain her calm.  A glance at Fay’s face and she saw a light of wonder in her expression, her ears perked and her smile replaced with a look of awe. 

         “Sorry to keep you waiting,” Fox McCloud said to her and Miyu did all in her power to not swoon in the presence of her hero, her idol.  Behind him, she saw his teammates, famous for their heroic deeds across the Lylat System.  She felt small compared to them, her accomplishments in the Aparoid Invasion and Anglar Blitz nothing in the shadow of the Star Fox team. 

         “That’s okay!” Miyu said and at the same time, Fay had said something else, something the lynx did not quite catch.  With surprise, she turned to look at the dog again, albeit briefly before returning her gaze upon Fox.

         “Well, before we begin, let’s introduce ourselves,” Fox said, and Miyu silently mused at the fact that it was likely he did not, in fact, need to introduce his team.  Everyone from Corneria to Papetoon knew their names and faces by now.  He gestured to himself, “My name is Fox McCloud.  I’m the leader of the Star Fox team.”

        “I’m Slippy Toad!” the toad next to him declared.  Miyu admitted he was shorter than she had expected… Fox too.  But she kept such thoughts to herself. “I do a lot of the engineering on the team.  Well, most of it actually…”

       “I’m Falco Lombardi.  I specialize in shootin’ things down and gettin’ paid,” the tall, slender bird to Fox’s other side said. 

       “My name is Amanda Rana,” a pink-skinned frog said politely.  Miyu remembered when she had joined shortly after the Anglar Blitz—a no-name, no-reputation pilot from the Aquas colonies.  “I’m the official maintainer of the Great Fox II and archiver.  All flight records and missions are recorded by me!”

       “My name is Krystal,” the blue vixen was the last to speak.  Miyu had seen her before in the CDF.  She had been placed in Katina City and was active during the Anglar Blitz.  The moment their eyes met, the lynx knew that she had been recognized as well.  Notably, the vixen did not state her specialization.  The rumors had flown about for years that the team had picked up a “space witch” from the ancient dinosaur planet. 

      “My name is Miyu Lynx.  I’m an officer in the Cornerian Defense Force, stationed on Katina City for the last four years,” Miyu said.

      “My name is Fay Spaniel,” the dog’s voice was a jolt through the lynx, a crack of thunder and lightning in her veins.  She studied Fay’s face, noting the determination in her face. “I’m a recently graduated student of the Cornerian Flight Academy, specialization spacecraft combat.” 

_You’ve got to be kidding me._

      “Well, it’s a pleasure to meet both of you.  We’ll be starting the interview process shortly,” Fox said, “I hope you don’t mind that we’re doing this as a group interview…?”

      “Not at all!” Fay said with her beaming smile and radiance that had made Miyu’s fur prickle.  Now, it left her with disgust in her mouth, her skin burning under her fur with jealousy and brooding aggression.

_She’s my competition?  Are you serious?_

      “By all means,” Miyu replied civilly.

       Fox led them to a hovercar, which whisked them away from the airport.  The chauffeur was a wrinkled Dalmatian, his jowls drooping over his mouth and his eyes squinting as he navigated the Katinan streets.  The proximity of Solar made the sky an interesting, vibrant shade and Miyu fought hard to not watch the sky.  She kept her eyes on Fox, who sat between Slippy and Krystal, his own gaze staring holes through nothingness. 

_Where is he taking us?_

      “So…” Amanda prompted, drumming her fingers lightly on her legs. “Tell us a bit about yourselves.  Where are you both from?”

      “Corneria City,” Fay said. “I traveled a bit before I joined the Academy.  But I’ve been on Corneria most of my life.”

      “Katina City,” Miyu replied. “I graduated before the Aparoid Invasion and served in the CDF during it and the Anglar Blitz.”

     “Where were you in the Aparoid Invasion?” Fox asked Miyu, and when she met his gaze, she could feel him probing her expression, searching every inch of her.  The assessment was hard to bear but she maintained her stoic mien.

     “I was on Katina for awhile, then I was transferred to the protection of the Orbital Gate for awhile.  I was one of the ones left after the homeworld invasion,” Miyu said.  What had happened when the Cornerians had struck back against the Aparoids was… a memory she did not like to talk about.  Fox gave a nod of understanding.

    “I remember you from Katina,” Krystal spoke up, her arms crossed over her stomach in a relaxed, yet taciturn position.  “During the Anglar Blitz.”

    “I remember you too,” Miyu replied, and the blue vixen’s lip curled into a small smile.

    “It was a different time,” Krystal said softly, and the lynx contemplated what she meant by that.  It likely had something to do with her temporary dismissal from the Star Fox team, but she decided not to pry into that. 

    The hovercar pulled into the lot of a local café, and Miyu blinked with surprise as Fox nonchalantly entered it. 

    “Order what you’d like, I’ll cover the tab,” Fox said to them, and Miyu opted for a small latte (after much debate as to if there was a “right” thing to order to appease him).  Krystal gave her a smirk as they sat down and Miyu’s ears twitched with uncertainty as her order was brought to her a few minutes later.

     Fay sat down with a strawberry tea, sipping it with a delighted look on her face.  Miyu felt a pang of loathing as the dog sat down next to her, curls bouncing with life.  “Thanks for the treat, Mr. McCloud!” She said cheerily.

    “Yeah, thanks,” Miyu offered hurriedly.

    “No problem,” Fox said, “You probably think this is odd, but this is how my dad used to interview people.  He’d buy them a cup of whatever they’d like then give them a tour of the mothership.”

     “That’s so nice,” Fay smiled.

_Please shut up._

    “So, what kind of spacefighters are you guys…. Er… _gals_ accustomed to?” Falco asked.  “What junk do they got you flying these days?”

    “Cornerian Defense Fighter Mark III,” Miyu answered immediately. “It’s the standard plane for a CDF soldier and officer.  Double lasers and storage for up to three bombs.  Lightweight but fast.”

    “Lightweight huh?” Fox and Slippy exchanged a mysterious look.

    “What Miyu said.  Most of the cadets in training use the Mark II’s, but when we become seniors, they let us use the Mark III’s.  They’re much nicer and shinier,” Fay said enthusiastically and Miyu thought she was going to puke from the dog’s sickly-sweet attitude.

    “How similar are those to Arwings?” Fox asked Krystal.

    The blue vixen gave a small shrug, “They are both designed by Space Dynamics, so they’re not completely different worlds from each other.  The Arwings are more powerful and hardier.  It would not be hard to teach them.”

    “Good,” Fox nodded. “What weaponry have you both used before?”

    “Blasters primarily.  Cornerian Defense model, made for medium ranged combat.  I’ve occasionally used rocket launchers,” Miyu replied.

    “Blasters with some hand grenade experience,” Fay answered.

   “Okay,” Fox said.  Miyu took note of the notepad he was scribbling stuff down on.  She tried her hardest not to stare but her nerves were rattled and she let her eyes stray to it a few times.  The vulpine did not comment on it, but instead removed his sunglasses after a moment, rubbing his eyelids before asking the next question. “Why do you want to join the Star Fox team?”

   “Adventure,” Fay Spaniel said at once. “I want to see the Lylat System and I want to help people.”

_That sugary attitude won’t do you any good in a fight._

   “I want to travel.  There’s a lot to see out there.  The CDF has been great but it’s not what I want to do in the long run.  I don’t like the sedentary lifestyle,” Miyu answered earnestly. “I don’t like routines.”

   Fox McCloud nodded to them and looked as though he were about to ask the next question when the unmistakable whirr of an alarm roared from somewhere outside.  Miyu felt her blood run cold in that moment, her hands tightening into fists.   _That sound…_ It had only been a year since she had heard it.  The sirens screamed terror through her veins and she rose from her chair immediately, latte forgotten and grabbed at her communication device.  Ears perked, Fox glanced outside, his curious eyes scanning the serene Katinan cityscape. 

   “What’s—” Falco began, sitting upright in his chair and almost spilling his Frappuccino.

   “That’s CDF sirens.  They’re telling people to take cover in their designated bunkers,” Miyu said.  Fay’s eyes were glistening with fear and distress—the lynx doubted she would be much help as soon as terror overwrote her instincts.  _This is the Blitz all over again.  Sirens without warning.  Calls for people to take cover as those bubble-brains came in out of nowhere…_

   “Is it a test?  They test the sirens every now and then, no?” Amanda asked, hands clutching a locket at her breast.

   “There’s something coming,” Krystal said, turquoise eyes lifted to the sky.

   “You’ve got to be kidding me,” Falco expressed all of their sentiments, scowling grumpily.

    Fox activated the communication bracelet on his left arm and an image of a rectangular-headed robot was produced from it. “ROB, what’s the situation?” the mercenary leader asked, his brows furrowed.

   “SCANNING KATINA AIRSPACE… MASSIVE ENERGY READINGS APPROACHING.  LANDING POINT PREDICTION: KATINA CITY,” the robot beeped back. 

   “A fleet?” Fox asked, blinking with surprise.

   “INCREASING SCANNER RADIUS… IMAGES FOUND ABOVE KATINA AIRSPACE.  ENTERING GRAVITATIONAL PULL NOW…” ROB’s face vanished, replaced by a series of images.  They were crystal-clear, ships that Miyu had never seen before.  Their builds were bulkier than those of the CDF, but something about their color and shape made them different than the Anglar.  They were painted red, but the leading four were marked a pure white, as if they were ghost ships leading a full-scale assault.

   “There’s hundreds of them…” Falco gaped. “Where did they come from?”

   “SCANNING VELOCITY AND DIRECTION OF UNKNOWN VESSELS…VOYAGE PREDICTION… METEO TO KATINA 80%  CORNERIA TO KATINA 10%, PAPETOON TO KATINA 5%, AREA 3 TO KATINA…5%,” ROB answered.

   “Meteo?” Fox blinked. “Could it be... Wolf...?”

   “That’s not a Wolfen,” Krystal replied coolly. “That’s something else.”

    Scanners and data analysis did nothing to soothe her fears.  An attack from Meteo made no sense—the only ones out there were ruffians, space pirates, and villainous sorts that gathered in small groups.  Even combined, they would not make such a unified front.  Something else was going on, and that made the CDF pilot even more unsettled.  She made for the café’s exit, not sure how she would return to her ship, but knew she had to.  Her planet needed her. 

   “Whatever it is, I have to go,” Miyu yelled over her shoulder, almost out the door. “The CDF needs me!”

   “The CDF needs all of us,” Fox’s words stopped her in the doorway, and she looked back at him with wide eyes.  “ROB, ready the Arwings.”

   “I need to get to my ship,” Miyu began.

   “ROB… Ready seven Arwings,” Fox corrected himself.

   “Seven?!” Miyu sputtered.

   “Seven…?” Fay’s eyes widened.

   “My dad always had a saying.  'There’s no time like now',” Fox said and as Miyu looked up, she could see the armada breaking into the atmosphere like gnats in the air. 

 _Why now?  Why did they have to come now?_   Fox put a hand on her shoulder as they watched the unknown invaders draw ever closer.  He said something about waiting for the Arwings to autopilot to them—some fancy transporting technology they had integrated into the Great Fox II over the course of the last few years, since the Aparoid Invasion.  Miyu nodded dumbly, dread filling her.  Somewhere, her parents would be ushered into the safety of a bunker, where they would hear the awful sounds of war and pray that she would make it out in one piece. 

_There’s no time like now… I guess it’s trial by fire._


	2. The Advent of Chaos

             Fox was certain that he had angered a god or deity of some sort.  As soon as the Arwings had been ported to their vicinity (one crushing a nearby hovercar), he had ROB64 open the spare Arwing hatches.  They were older models, from before the Lylat Wars, but he was certain they were flyable and Slippy confirmed that with utmost confidence. 

             “I don’t have my headset,” Miyu began.

             “There’s extra behind the seat,” Fox instructed as she climbed into the one that he had once flown on his blitz against Andross. The Mark II was nice and comfy, but dated.  He knew she would have little to no issues with it, however, if she was half the pilot her record claimed her to be.

             He climbed into his Mark III, donning his headset. “Check…” he said into the microphone and the others responded in turn, engines revving.  A crowd was gathering at a distance from the Arwings, their eyes filled with wonder and amazement.  Fox felt himself blush for a moment, telling himself he ought to be used to the stares and gapes.  But he wasn’t and his voice cracked when he spoke to the others. “No time for system checks today.  We don’t know who the enemy is, so let’s open communications to the CDF to see what we can figure out and how we can help.  They’re on Channel 1, I believe.”

              “Sounds good,” Falco replied.

             “Fay, Miyu, if you have any questions, contact someone immediately.  You understand the controls of these things enough to get it airborne?”

             “Same basic controls as a CD Mark II,” Miyu chimed back over the communication channel. “A few extra buttons but I’m sure it’s nothing too bad.  What does the green button do?”

             “Walker,” Slippy answered.

             “Oh… I haven’t played with that before,” Miyu sounded impressed and excited.

             “Before we jump into this, make sure you’re all buckled in,” Fay said and Fox gave a small laugh.

             “What the lady said,” Fox chortled, “Switching over to Channel 1.” He turned the dial and sent out a hailing notification to the CDF.  Already, he could see their planes deploying out of the woodwork of Katina City, like elegant green birds taking flight in flocks.  “Katina CDF, this is Fox McCloud of the Star Fox team.”

             “Fox McCloud, you are speaking to Lieutenant Brutus Brown,” a hound’s face appeared onto the communication screen, his eyes veiled by a visor.  “I wasn’t aware the Star Fox team was on Katina today.”

             “Yes, we’re here doing a bit of recruitment, but I put that on hold to ask you guys if you needed some help,” Fox replied. “Seems like you’ve got quite a bit on your plate this afternoon.”

             “Ha!  We could always use some assistance from the Star Fox team.  I’ll notify my soldiers that you’ll be flying with us today,” Lieutenant Brown replied with a haughty laugh.

             Fox began his take off then, pulling the nose of his Arwing high into the air as to avoid the sun-baked buildings.  He narrowly dodged a skyscraper before he was clear from the city.  The others followed suit, with one of the lent Arwings swaying slightly before stabilizing in the air.  The CDF dotted Katina airspace, engaging the soldiers in air combat. 

             “Spread out,” Fox ordered and the other Arwings obeyed.  He boosted ahead before switching into all-range mode.  As soon as his plane’s wings unfurled entirely, the vulpine began his hunt. 

             _The build and make of these ships seems all too familiar…_ Fox thought as he blasted one of the sky, its cockpit exploding before the emergency pod could enact.  He had grown cold and accustomed to this years ago.  The Lylat Wars never broke him of his uncomfortableness at fighting, but it had trained his mind to not think of what was happening in each and every plane he shot down.  

             “Wowie, these things are pretty neat!” Fay beamed over the channel. “So much better than those CD Mark IIs!”

             “Who… is this?” Lieutenant Brown could be heard, incredulous.

             “Oh… Oopsie, wrong channel!” Fay replied and Miyu could be heard groaning from her end of the communications.

             A few more ships fell to his blasters and he rolled out of a surge of fighters, aiming their guns at him.  Falco took care of them before he could make a pass, and Fox pressed on, finding a squadron of bombers and hastily taking them out.  A bomb fell from one of their storage units, collapsing onto a civic center and sending a hole through it.  The vulpine winced.

             “Fox… are you thinking what I’m thinking?” Slippy’s transmission was on a private line, and Fox swapped his mic to match it.

             “Yeah…” Fox said, the remnants of another enemy plane falling to burning pieces over the Katina City streets. “These ships look like Andross’s handiwork.”

             "The recent announcement from Venom," Slippy began and Fox let out a sigh.  

             The wake of the Blitz had left Corneria vastly unopposed, their forces already spread across the Lylat System.  They had begun to study Venom, the planet that seemed to only foster death and decay.  When Aileen Cotton had taken control of the Cornerian Empire, she had ordered for a colony to be built on Venom.  Its reputation for being bad luck was only superstition, she had decreed.  The colony had been put under the authority of Venom-enthusiast Dash Bowman, a former CDF pilot that seemed to be the only one crazy enough to want to live on the toxic wasteland.  Colonies had been built there under his supervision.  Mining into the planet had proved resourceful, as there were minerals there that even the top scientists in Corneria had never seen before.  The project was deemed a success... until the collapse of the colonies, destroyed by that bad luck General Cotton had declared was myth.  Fox sighed as he mulled over it.  The casualties had been great that day-- hundreds lost to the poisonous gas that naturally ebbed from the planet.  But those who had survived kept on with their research.  They had announced separation from the Cornerians shortly after and all trade ceased both ways.  That had been just a few months ago and Venom had fallen silent.  The Cornerian leadership had figured stopping trade would pressure the Venomians into rejoining the Empire... but thus far, there had been silence from its supposed governor, Dash Bowman.  

             "What if it's Andrew?" Fox asked bitterly. "What happened to his forces after the Blitz?"

             "They scattered after he was arrested last year," Slippy shook his head. "And I doubt they're operating on their own.  Most of them probably went to places like Eladard or Macbeth."

             "I got a bad feelin' about this, Slip," Fox sighed.

             "You and me both," Slippy replied.

             His stomach sank as he sent another spray of lasers into an Androssian ship.  Everywhere he went, he felt Andross in the shadows. Even in death, the mad ape was taunting him, cackling from beyond the grave.  His specter had haunted him on Sauria, emerging when the cosmic powers of the Krazoa had been brought together.  And even before that, on Titania, a clone of Andross had nearly cost them their lives.  The Anglars had spawned from his madness, brought painfully into the world through experimentation.  Then there had been the things he had seen in the Corridor of Illusion... things that still felt like a fever-dream.  Fox half-heartedly blasted a few more from the sky, wondering when the chaos would end, when Andross's memory would finally be laid to rest.

             _No matter what I do, the conflicts keep happening. There's never gonna be peace in the Lylat System.  Even the calm after the Lylat Wars was temporary._

             “Fox…” Krystal privately contacted him, her teal eyes filled with worry. “Are you okay?”

             “Y-yes,” he answered feebly, and she did not have to use her telepathy to see through him.  “I’ll be fine.  Can you sense anything about these fighters?”

             “Most of them are drones.  Piloted by false life forms,” Krystal said. “I can’t sense thoughts from them, but there are some that are piloted by Lylatians.”

             “Drones?  Droids?” Fox asked with surprise.

             “Yes,” Krystal answered. “I did not quite know what to make of it at first.  By I can sense that they are being controlled by something… distant.”

             “If we take it out, then maybe they’ll fall and we can end this quickly.  I’ll broadcast that to the others—” Fox began but he was cut off by a sudden transmission.

             “My scanners are detecting that enemy carriers are approaching!” Slippy informed them over the broadcasted CDF channel.

             “Carriers?  Star Fox, can you handle those?  We’ll take the fighters from here,” Lieutenant Brown said.

             “You heard the guy, let’s focus on the carriers,” Fox said.  He was in process of turning his Arwing around when a spray of lasers burned holes through his wings.  A swift barrel roll to the left, a boost and a flip, and he saw his attacker—one of the phantomlike ships from before.

             A beeping on his communications device hailed the incoming message, and Fox accepted it with the simple press of a button.

             “Star Fox.  A surprise,” an unfamiliar voice greeted him and deftly, Fox broadcasted the message to the CDF channel.  The face that stared into him was that of a feline, his striped fur long and his amber eyes full of malice.  A nasty set of scars marred his eye and forehead, dug deep as though he had been mauled by a rabid beast.  The accent in his voice was alien to him—but it sounded elegant, almost alluring.  Fox skeptically stared back at the strange cat, all the while his hands moving on autopilot, locking onto the unknown vessel.

             “Who is this guy?” Falco asked. “Call off your troops, dude!  You’re attacking civilians!”

             “I am aware,” the cat replied. “And I will not.  My apologies for the disappointment.  We have come a long way for this.”

             “For… what?” Falco demanded.

             Three more ships appeared from thin air, circling in formation with the feline’s ship.  They did not openly fire upon them, but lingered.  The cat returned onto their communication stream. “You will learn soon enough.”

             “Katina… I haven’t been here in some time,” another unfamiliar face appeared on the broadcast—a caracal with a thick, curled mustache and ears that dwarfed even Miyu’s. “I hear this place has really… _gone to the dogs_.”

             “Yeah, and we’re gonna clean it up.  Let’s shred ‘em,” a lively female cheetah appeared on their screen as well, her hair dyed neon purple.  The fourth stranger appeared after—a tiger that merely grunted and gave a nod before the four ships dispersed.

             _Who are these people?_

             He had to think quickly, had to move quickly.  If they were an elite squadron, then he could not risk putting Fay and Miyu in danger… Heart racing, he dodged out of one ship’s line of fire. “Falco, Krystal, Slippy and I will handle these guys.  Miyu, Amanda, and Fay—go take out those carriers!” Fox commanded over the Star Fox channel, careful to switch it back to the open broadcast after the orders were delivered.

             “Roger that!” Amanda replied over the private channel. “Let’s go, girls!” 

             He pressed the Arwing into a boost and circled around his target, the white ship zipping after him in an attempt to match his speed. _These guys are no joke._ “Lieutenant Brown, have you notified General Hare about this?” Fox asked over the CDF.

             “Yes, we were able to send a distress signal to Corneria,” Lieutenant Brown replied. “Hopefully, the Cornerian Army will send us some air support…”

             “Hopefully,” Fox echoed.

             _Peppy, you’ve always pulled through before.  I know we can count on you._

He squared off against the white ship, sending a private message to Slippy to pull up anything he might have on the enemy fighters or their pilots.  Slippy replied with a hasty “I’ll try!” before being showered in lasers, narrowly dodging it by putting a Katinan building between himself and his enemy.  Fox did a flip and tried to get behind the white ship but it veered sharply to the right and he nearly collided into a building pursuing it. 

             As he came around the next building, the enemy was in middle of a U-turn, firing a spray of lasers at him.  He took a hit but managed to get one of his own in before the ship zipped on by.  _This is going to take forever… where did they get these starfighters?  They’re not your typical low-grade mercenary trash…_ In fact, the more Fox thought about it, the more the ships resembled the quality of the Wolfens… or even the Mark III Arwings.  His stomach churned.  Something was very, very wrong here. 

             “This is a transmission from the Cornerian Military Headquarters,” came a rusty but familiar voice over the intercom.  General Peppy Hare appeared on his communications screen, donned from head to toe in flashy crimson with golden buttons.  “We have deployed an emergency unit from Corneria to Katina airspace.  They are traveling using an orbital gate.  Expect aid in the next ten minutes.”

             “Thank you, General,” Fox chimed in.

             “Acting-General.  Wait, Fox?  You’re on Katina?” Peppy sounded surprised.

             “Yeah, we were in the area, thought we’d lend a hand…” Fox replied with a smirk. “Just like old times.”

             “Indeed…” Peppy said with a wearied sigh. “Our reconnaissance has identified the space fighters as modified Androssian vessels.  Fox, be careful.”

             “You don’t have to worry about me, old-timer,” Fox replied.

             _Just another day on the job._

* * *

 

            They hurtled towards the carriers with reckless abandon, Amanda leading the way.  She did not pilot her Arwing with the deft hands of Fox McCloud, but Miyu was impressed regardless.  Wings locked back, the lynx’s vessel surge forward with speed that put her Mark III to shame, blasters illuminating the sky.  Fay trailed along after them, picking off any of the fighters they missed.  Miyu thought to taunt her via a private channel and ask her why she was moving so slowly, but she refrained.  The interview was not over yet, and the lynx knew every action she took in the battle would count for or against her.

           The first carrier was an impressively hulking slab of metal, painted with a sanguine and cream that Miyu recognized from the Lylat Wars.  She stored the mental note for later—her priorities were annihilating the carriers and preventing a land-based invasion.  Amanda did not unfurl her Arwing’s wings as Miyu predicted, but instead boosted forward, charging a laser and firing it into its hull. 

          “We’re going to hit it head-on.  Miyu, aim for the cannons.  Fay, get the fighters coming from its hanger.  I’ll focus on taking it down.  We’ll do the same thing every time,” Amanda instructed, voice light and calm.

        “Sounds good to me,” Miyu replied.

         “Roger, roger!” Fay cheered from her end and Miyu’s nails dug rivets into the steering.

         The lynx went for a pass on the carrier’s left side, aiming her Arwing’s blasters towards the exposed cannons.  They fired their displeased replies back to her, but she countered it with a roll, her hands gripping tighter and tighter.  The Mark IIIs could not deflect laser fire so well… she was impressed beyond belief at how well the Arwings had been engineered and constructed.  Another pass and her ship’s blasters saw the cannons of the carrier’s underbelly destroyed into burning shambles, flying helplessly to the Katinan ground.

          It was after a few moments that the interior of the hulking mass began to combust, and Amanda warned them to put give it some distance.  Miyu heard and felt the explosion.  When she turned the Arwing to parallel the falling carrier, she watched as it crumpled into the brown dirt, laying ungracefully atop a gigantic mushroom.  The next carrier was downed in a similar fashion and Amanda carried on wordlessly to the next.  Miyu’s fingers felt taut with stress, her joints locked as she heard various callouts from the CDF.  It took a lot of energy and strength to disregard them and focus on the task at hand.

             _One thing at a time…_

Her flustered mind occupied her attention for a moment too long, and as a flurry of cannons zipped by, Miyu hastily pushed the Arwing into a boost.  Arcing over the sleek Starfighter, another of the Star Fox Arwings eliminated the cannons.  Flushed with embarrassment, she almost didn’t hear Fay chiming over her the intercom to “be more careful”.  Ears burning, the lynx made a quiet vow to not let herself get carried away again.

          “Report: A massive mothership is lingering beyond Katina’s atmosphere, locked in orbit.  It’s guarding a portal!” a CDF soldier piped in.

           “Fox, how are things going?” Amanda asked.

            “We’re still taking care of things down here.  Head for the portal!  See if there’s a way you can close it,” Fox replied.

            “You heard the guy!” Amanda said to them. “Let’s head for the portal.”  Her Arwing folded its wings back almost entirely.  Miyu pressed her borrowed Arwing into a boost after Amanda’s, and her radar showed Fay was close on their heels.  Whatever awaited them in outer space, she prayed they would make it back in one piece.

             They broke through the atmosphere, the endlessness of space stretched out before them.  Carriers lurked like sharks in the water, each accompanied by clusters of enemy star fighters.  Brilliant flashes of light nearly blinded her as her opponents attacked and Miyu dodged to the left.  A massive space station loomed, its structure and design foreign to her.  A portal hovered behind it, large enough to swallow a small planet, or so it seemed.  Where it led to, Miyu could only guess.

             “Oh my…” Fay’s murmurs could be heard.

             “Don’t let your guard down!  Not even for an instant!” Amanda warned them.

             _My day just keeps getting crazier and crazier._

 

* * *

 

 

            He leaned back in the chair, careless and carefree, his eyes not even on the radars.  The front seat had always been his dream as a child, and now that he got to relax in its voluptuous cushions, the teen felt strangely… Sad.  Perhaps if the bulk of their forces had been still present within the space station, then he would have felt like a true leader.  Now, he was merely the substitute, holding the chair until his father returned.  With a sigh, Talius Darkmoon leaned his cheekbone against a curled fist propped up on one of the arm rests, and he tapped a few buttons on the keyboard half-heartedly.

            Sargasso Space Station III had been a splice of a space station and a ship in itself.  His father referred to it as a space fortress, but Talius didn’t see what the difference was.  It was a giant operational weapon, a floating base, and more importantly, it was where he had grown up since he was a kitten.  He knew the rooms and steel corridors like the back of his hand.  He knew the hangers, he knew the speaker systems, he knew where the blasters were stored.  And now that his father had shown him how to pilot the hulking fortress, he knew how to fire the missiles and move from orbit.

            Only, none of that knowledge was necessary now, as Talius had been tasked with the job of maintaining the space zone, as well as keeping an eye out for any warp gate activity.  When Andross had concocted the technology for space warp, the only ones who had been able to utilize the technology had been the Cornerians... and that was after some time and effort from Yaru DePon and Beltino Toad.  But eventually there were people bought and bribed—now everyone and their mother had warp cores.  Travel had gotten easier in the Lylat System… even for dreadnaught fortresses such as Sargasso III.

            His father had told him how to read the scanners and how to use the warping technology, but he had strictly told Talius not to make any jumps through the portal until the rest of the crew was back onto the space station.  It would whisk them away to Venom—their base of operations. 

            He had implored his father to take him on this mission, but Raniver had declared it too dangerous for him.  It didn’t matter that the youngest pilot, Luna Fleetfoot, was only a year older than him.  Raniver had been adamant, and so Talius had been left behind.  The young cat trailed his fingers across the keyboard, lightly brushing the buttons, and breathed out slowly, rolling back the chair and checking one of the radars to his right.  Devoid of life and lights, he rolled back over to the main computer, and fought the urge to take a nap.

            “How is the chair?” a voice asked and Talius shot upright, the sleepiness ebbing away from his blue eyes.  He spun the chair around with a foot to see the lean and tall puma standing in the doorway, uniform cut at the sleeves and face drawn up in a serious fashion. 

            Though his father had kept much of his past a secret, he had not neglected to inform young Talius that he had manservants sometime before his founding of Ghost Echo.  Calinth Reyes was a hard-eyed bodyguard of his late thirties, his jaw thick and his face the epitome of solemn.  Talius had never known his birth mother, and on the days Raniver had to be away on a job, Cal had been the one to cradle him and tell him stories.  Despite his uniform, he was not of the pilots, and had not been for some time.  Though Raniver required he had a blaster for protection, Calinth had a penchant for blades, particularly a set of machetes that he kept close at hand.

            “It’s boring,” Talius complained at once, and Cal shook his head.

            “It’s _responsibility_.”

            Talius hid his eye roll by turning back to the monitor. “It’s not what I’d _like_ to be doing,” He explained, but Cal had already heard his spiel.  Not to anyone’s surprise, the puma had agreed with Raniver’s decision.   But Talius didn’t care; he wanted to vent almost as much as he wanted to fly. 

“I’d like to go out, teach them all a lesson myself.  But Dad said that he wanted to take me on a few test flights on Kew before I got my own plane.”

            “A wise decision,” Cal mused, still leaning against the door frame, “You have flown a mere handful of times.  Counting the joyride.” As Talius winced, the cougar folded his arms, “This is no trivial mission.  Your father could not afford to be watching you the entire time to make sure you didn’t get yourself killed.”  His voice did not relinquish a drop of mercy and Talius felt the furs on the back of his neck prickle with annoyance.

 _Yeah, like I’m such a burden._  But he didn’t voice his sneering thoughts.

            Instead, the young cat opted to change the subject.  “We’re gonna meet the Boss on Kew after this.  Dad says he’ll give us more troops and another target to hit.  He thinks it’ll be Papetoon, but I don’t know.  I don’t know what the Boss would want with a huge of rock and pubs.” Talius made a face.

            “Papetoon is small, yes, but it has a heavy population for its size.  Plenty of hostages,” Cal pointed out. “It’s also the homeworld of the Lylat System’s savior… and the acting general has some ties there as well.”

            “I guess that’s the perk of being born in a space station.  You don’t really have a homeworld to worry about,” Talius remarked, and for a moment, Calinth Reyes was silent, staring out the window, down at the hanger.  The young cat took his guard’s silence to be an agreement, and he chanced a look up at the cougar, “You know, you never told me what planet you’re from.”

            “The same one as your father,” Cal replied mysteriously, ears turned back. As the teen opened his mouth to protest, the cougar cut him off, “You’ll know one day.  Just not today, and probably not tomorrow either.”  His mouth curled into a wry smile, “So don’t _ask_.”

            “It’s Corneria, isn’t it!” Talius retorted, arms tossed into a fold, “I _knew_ it.”

            “That’s the land of _dogs_ \-- don’t be silly,” Cal snorted. “I’ll give you a hint—you’ve never been there before.”

            “Gee thanks, that was so helpful,” Talius responded sardonically, swiveling the chair in circles out of pure boredom.  He supposed his father could not keep him within the base for all eternity; sooner or later, Raniver needed someone to take care of the team for him when he decided to retire.  Disdainfully, Talius picked at a nail, frowning into the nothingness as he hefted a weary sigh.

“I haven’t been to a lot of places,” he began, pale cerulean eyes shifting to the manservant, who was leaning over and watching a few of the guards. Talius saw the mistrustfulness in the cougar’s eyes, but said nothing about it, continuing woefully, “But I guess I know I’m _officially_ not from Aquas.” He tried to sound disappointed, but couldn’t.  Something about the endless depths of the ocean planet horrified him.  ‘Cats don’t like water,’ his father had told him, ‘So I guess it makes sense why you’re scared.’  It wasn’t the water that had scared the teen; it was what was _in_ it.

            “There are worse planets,” Cal replied, squinting as he looked at the table of monkeys playing cards by the hanger. “Venom, for one.”

            Talius laughed, “Dad says there’s just something not right about that place.”  He tilted his head to the side, mouth curled into a frown of , “Say… where _did_ Andross get so many monkeys to make an army anyways?  I thought that Venom was supposed to be deserted?”  To that, Cal could only toss him an equally confused look over his muscular shoulder.  His shrug was the epitome of indifference.

            “As long as they stay loyal, I could care less.”

            That was when Talius saw it, the red flashes of light on the radar.  He didn’t feel himself kick the floor and slide next to the screen or call out for Calinth.  In the blink of an eye, the teen was there, staring at the pulsating lights with his breath still caught in his lungs.  A radar check did not mark them as Venomian forces and the cat gave a frown.  There were carriers to Sargasso III’s left and right, still incoming from the portal that lingered behind them… Judging from their size, he presumed they were Starfighters—overzealous Katinan soldiers, perhaps?  A flicker of worry crossed his mind.  Were they targeting the carriers? 

“Are they headed from Katina?” Cal asked him, and Talius watched, all the while grabbing the com device from where it was next to the radar, drawing it up to his lips. 

“Yeah…. Sargasso III to Ghost Echo Alpha, come in…” Talius said, quietly, his tufted ears erect with alarm as the dots drew closer on his scanner.  They were white, a stark contrast to the everlasting darkness of space.  Calinth’s _whoosh_ of an exhale was hot on the back of the teen’s head and he could hear the puma growling with low, feral-sounding discontent.

            “Ghost Echo Alpha reporting in,” the deep, familiar voice of his father replied back in a moment, and Talius could hear the laser fire from the battle atop the planet’s alien surface. “Sargasso III, is there a problem?”

            “We have incoming enemies from Katina,” Talius’ hands began moving, as though possessed by some unknown force.  He hit the button to the left and the cameras outside took over the screen.  As the young cat slid the zoom lever to focus in on the inbound space crafts, Cal muttered something under his breath darkly.  

             “Talius, what are you seeing?” Raniver asked him.  From over the intercom, Talius could hear the sound of laser fire.  It made his heart pound, but he had faith that his father would make it through.  His father _always_ made it through—and no motley gang of dogs was going to change that.

             “They’re white and blue.  I’ve… never seen these things before,” he replied as soon as he had the radar locked onto the ships.  “They appear to be Cornerian and heavily armed.  I think they’re headed for…” He was about to say ‘the carriers’ but the first ship passed them by… and then the second… and then the third. 

             _They’re headed towards the portal._

“They’re going to disable the portal!”

             “Arwings.  The other three Star Fox members got bored of fighting carriers… Talius.  Stall.  Use any means necessary.  We will finish down here and meet you there,” Raniver said and Talius exhaled with a dramatic sigh.

             “Stall… And how does he expect me to do that!?” the young cat whined as he fiddled with the frequencies.  There had to be a broadcast option somewhere… A few buttons and knob-turns later and he sent out a hailing to the strange aircrafts, running his hand through his spiky black hair to make sure it was ruffled adequately.

             _The Star Fox team… these guys are beyond pro.  They’re practically god-tier mercs.  Gotta play it cool, gotta play it cool…_

             “Be careful…” Cal warned and then backed a step, so that the communications camera did not catch him in its visuals.

             A moment later and a pink frog appeared in his screen.  Talius blinked with surprise—not sure what he had been expecting, but some girl that barely looked able to swat a fly was not it.  He could scarcely contain his smug smirk, his icy blue eyes glittering with delight.

             “I hope you aren’t planning on destroying my portal,” he said, propping his chin with a curled fist.  “Those things are kind of expensive, y’know.”

“This is the Star Fox team,” the frog sounded indignant, unprofessional and Talius’s grin widened. You have invaded Katina airspace. Remove yourselves from the premises or we will forcibly remove you!”

            “That’s kind of bold to say, considering I’m in the big fancy fortress and you’re in a tiny spacecraft,” Talius pointed out.

             The three Arwings were visible from the window, flying in an arrow-like formation before breaking off one-by-one.  He grabbed the main bridge gun and fired a few warning shots at them.  They scattered, boosting away in their nimble planes.  Talius almost envied them—if he had been in a fighter, it would have made annihilating them easier.  Being stuck in the hulking mass of a mothership left him feeling slow.  His other hand went to the secondary guns and he activated their sensing mechanisms, setting them to “fire at will” before swapping back to communications.

             “Heeeeey lady, you sure you wanna tango with us?  I’d hate to see what would happen if our main cannon caught your puny little plane with one of its big ol’ lasers,” he taunted, childishly sticking out his tongue.

             “Ugh, who even is this kid!” another voice interrupted and he was genuinely shocked to see a lynx’s face appear on the screen.  His eyes traced over her rough features and she glare back with open defiance in her ocean eyes, nose wrinkled in a sneer.  “What a joke.”

             “What’s a cat doing working for a bunch of dogs?” Talius asked with a scoff. “Why would you do that to yourself?”

             “Katina is my home,” the lynx replied, voice dropping low with toxicity. “Anyone that causes it harm gets pummeled.  Even if it’s a kid like you.”

             “Try it,” he teased back.

             “Hey!” a white-furred dog cut in, her fluff and curls almost comically bouncing.  “Just…. Stop bickering!” She tried helplessly and Talius gave another scoff before turning his attention to his father’s manservant. 

            “She means to cut us from the portal,” Cal warned him, his brows arched with concern. “We will have to get rid of them.”

            Talius was certain that the frog lady had been saying something the entire time the manservant was talking, but was scarcely paying any attention to the pink frog.  Tossing a glance back at her, the fluffy tabby shrugged, a feigned innocent smile on his face, “Well, I guess you heard the man,” as he reached to switch the communications back to Ghost Echo, the lady shouted back in protest.

            “I’m warning you!  Y-you had better-”

            “Yeah, well, I’m done talking with you,” Talius closed the line, switching back to speak with his father.

            “Talius?  Talius?” Raniver was calling out over the line. “Sargasso III, do you copy?  This is Ghost Echo Alpha!  Do you copy?”

            “This is Sargasso III, Ghost Echo, the incoming fighters are Star Fox and they are not interested in skirmishing with you.  They’re going to make an attempt to forcibly enter the hangers, I think,” Talius said as he watched one of the Arwings zip by a window.

            “Grr…” He could almost feel his father’s frustration, and the young cat winced.  In the doorway, Cal was on standby, his burning amber eyes alight with silent fury.  Hands pawing at his machete handles, he fidgeted, adjusting his weight, twitching his tail and waiting impatiently.

“We’re on our way back,” Raniver decided, “All Ghost Echo ships pull back into orbit.  Time to send these dogs scattering.”  After confirmation from each of the pilots, the leader of Ghost Echo added, “Talius, open the hangers just to let some of the men outside to preoccupy Star Fox.  We’ll be there soon.”

            “Roger…” Talius replied, “We’ll hold them off.”

            “Talius… if they severely damage any of the Sargasso, I want you to put her into a warp to Venom,” Raniver said quietly, and though Talius agreed to do it, inwardly, he didn’t believe it would be necessary.

            Switching to the speakers throughout the space fortress, the young teen announced, “Ladies and gentlemen, as you are no doubt aware…” He didn’t hear the laserfire, but he felt it as one of the Arwings dashed by. “… We are being attacked by the Star Fox team.” _Some of you are probably used to this by now…_ he thought with a half-smirk of amusement.  A good portion of these men had served Andross long ago—they were probably ready to be rid of the motley mercenary group.  “They want to destroy our potral, I say let them try.  Whoever can blast one down gets a special reward. Go, go, go!”

            As he ended the message, he glanced at Cal for approval.  The puma rolled his shoulders and remarked, “Well, that was certainly different than how your father would have worded it.”  His voice was just shy of an amused purr. “Open the hangers once some of the men are in their ships.  Best not leave it open long enough for one of our guests to pay us a visit.”

            “I heard from one of the monkeys that Fox McCloud actually took over the first Sargasso station, just like we took over the second one,” Talius stated as he eyed the security cameras. Delightfully, he watched the men rushing to their ships.  They were mostly monkeys, he observed, with the occasional alligator, curve-horned ram, and even a sparrow.  _All of them are probably wanted for theft at the least… no one goes to work for Venom unless they’ve got something to hide._  Briefly, he wondered why his father had truly taken up the offer as well.

            “If they get in the space station, I will protect you,” Cal said simply, resting with his back against the doorway.

            “With those?” Talius pointed at the machetes, brows raised as he stared at the bulky puma. “Yeah, that’ll go great.”

            “I won’t be using those,” Cal retorted, pulling the blaster out of his holster at his hip.

            “Do you even know _how_ to shoot a blaster?” Talius began uncertainly.

            “I know a _lot_ of things,” Cal laughed haughtily, and for some reason, Talius truly believed him.  As the Venomian soldiers crawled into their square-shaped planes and fired up their engines, Talius punched the button to open the hangers.  One by one, they lifted, dark and sleek hulls with twin lasers on either sides, cockpits dark with tinted glass.  He could not see who was piloting which craft, and frankly, the young teen didn’t care.  _As long as they do their job…_   The first Venomian craft departed the hanger with a sudden blast of energy from its tail, the second one following with a third trailing after eagerly.  They shot off into the darkness of space, fifteen total as Talius Darkmoon counted them.

            With the last one that exited, the gates to the hanger shut, and he shot a look at Calinth Reyes before turning back to the keyboard, inputting a specific code.  _There’s a handful of guns on the outer rims of the station.  If I can access those, I might be able to shoot down a ship or too myself…_ As his fingers childishly poked at the buttons, he heard the puma behind him clear his throat. “What are you doing?” Cal asked, stepping up behind Talius’ chair.

            “I feel completely useless sitting here, I might as well have some fun,” Talius began, not looking at him.

            “Do you know how to work them?” Cal asked.  He could feel Calinth’s disapproval festering and mulling, but did nothing to quell the cougar’s dismay. 

            “Nope,” Talius replied nonchalantly, blinking his innocent baby blues with a smile creeping onto his face.  No sooner had he said this, the screen flashed another message.  “GUNS ONLINE” it proclaimed in big, blocky letters, and a flare of excitement ran through his veins. “I’m only trying to shoot them down.  How hard could it be?”     

          

* * *

  

 

             “Enemy analysis complete, bringing it up on the monitor,” Slippy’s voice was a miracle through the melee and cacophony of cannons going off.  Fox permitted a moment for the ship’s AI to read him the results, switching the automated voice to priority over the other various people on the intercom.

             “SHIP MODEL… PHANTOM.  CLASS… GENERATION X STAR FIGHTER  MANUFACTURER—LIONHEART CORPORATION.  KNOWN SPACECRAFT OF WANTED CRIMINAL RANIVER DARKMOON, LEADER OF GHOST ECHO SQUADRON.  AFFILIATION… UNKNOWN.”

             “Ghost Echo?” Fox had heard the name before, in reports that had come from all corners of the Lylat System.  After the Anglars had been felled, Star Wolf had taken some of the profit and had used it on their new space station, the Sargasso II.  It had eventually become totaled by a raid from a neighboring mercenary group—Ghost Echo, a feline-only band of rogues that had broken Cornerian law on multiple planets.  It was rumored they had taken out the entirety of the Star Wolf team—news that had left Fox with mixed feelings of relief and yet sorrow.  The remnants of Andross’s forces had then bowed their knee to the new mercenary gang in charge and had set about rebuilding the Sargasso station the same day.

             _And now they’re attacking Katina…_ For reasons seemingly unknown.  Mercenary gangs seldom did such large-scale operations—preferring smuggling or the occasional hit on someone who owed someone money.  Planetary invasions were… well, out of the question budget-wise for a simple gang.  Fox’s mind had almost enveloped him entirely with thought before he realized the ship he had been dueling was retreating.

             “Whaa?  Where are they going!” Slippy exclaimed.

              “They’re chasing after Amanda and the recruits!” Falco pressed his Arwing into a boost without a moment of hesitation and Fox followed suit.

             “Lieutenant Brown, can I leave this to you and head for space?” Fox asked.

             “The CDF will be here shortly.  You can leave the rest to us!” Lieutenant Brown said with a nod and Fox moved into pursuit. 

             Carriers moving in from outerspace slowly glided their way downward, toward Katina City.  Their dark red and white colors threw Fox back into his own memories, and before he knew it, his knuckles had formed a death grip on his Arwing’s steering.  Falco fired a few shots at a nearby carrier, burning its side and disabling a cannon, but he was focused on the four white ships hurtling towards space. 

             When the ground had fallen away and the sky had turned black, Fox found himself staring into a bone-rattling scene.  A hulking mass of metal loomed in front of the portal.  It was smaller than the Sargasso Station had been, but so impressive in size that it stole it breath for a moment.  It had been crafted in the colors of red and white, matching the ships, but where the entry to the hangers should have been were monstrous cat heads—made of metal and baring their fangs in silent wrath.  A massive set of cannons turned to greet them, firing almost sparkling neon green lasers to greet them.

             “Amanda!” Slippy yelled as soon as one of the Arwings came into sight.   A quick glance down and Fox saw that it was her dodging a series of lasers from one of the Phantom class ships.  He chased after it, sending a few well-aimed shots into its rear.  With surprising speed, the ship boosted away then seemed to vanish in the open battle.

             “You made it just in time!” Amanda said.  “There’s a portal behind the big one.  Let’s see if we can destroy it!”  The toad had scarcely spoken when the cannons fired again and the team scattered to avoid the blast.  Krystal’s Arwing skirted dangerously close to Fox’s left wing and he slammed the brakes so that she did not collide into him.   

             “That’s going to be easier said than done…” Falco said bitterly. “Between the white ships, the cannons… this is going to be rough.”

             “Falco, Miyu, Krystal, and myself will deal with Ghost Echo.  Fay, you focus on the portal.  Slippy, you focus on disabling the cannons.  Let’s do this!” Fox gave the orders quickly, finding his target and locking onto it.  It was another Phantom class ship, lingering not terribly far from the portal.  Fox began firing.  Its surface flickered then faded from both his view and his radar.

             “What…” Fox began before his Arwing was rocked with lasers.

             The ship reappeared at his left, a smug smirk from a cheetah on the intercom. “Ha!  You thought you were so clever following us out here!  The Phantom class ships are the best on the market.  Your piddly Arwings don’t stand a chance!”

             “You think so, huh?” Fox replied, barrel-rolling through her next wave of attacks and landing a solid hit on her ship’s hull.

             “Ha!  You’re a cheeky doggy, I’ll give you that!” the cheetah snapped back, ship vanishing from view.

             Fox did a sharp turn his green eyes flitting about.  _How does she keep doing this?  Are these ships teleportation-able?_ A ripple in the stars, a strange anomaly caught his eye and Fox launched his ship into a barrel roll again, hearing her lasers bounce off his wings.  _She’s turning herself invisible.  It’s a cloaking mechanism on their planes!  That’s how they appeared from nowhere above Katina City._

            A few more shots were exchanged before an emergency signal was activated on one of the Arwings. Fox checked the screen to his left quickly—Fay’s was activated, her hull having sustained massive damage.

           “Fay?  What’s wrong?”

           “I need some help!  There’s… there’s something weird with this portal!” the white-furred dog piped up. “It’s like something is firing from the other side!”

           “Other side?  Is that possible?” Falco asked.

           “Hm… yes, I’m detecting something,” Krystal said, her Arwing veering close to the massive opening in space.  As soon as she crossed near it, a large amount of laserfire came through and she boosted to avoid it.  “Something quite unfriendly.”

          “Cannons disabled!  Whoo hoo!” Slippy said, breaking the moment.

          “Slippy!  Can you do a reading on that portal?  See where it leads to!”  Fox suggested.

          “Got it!” Slippy chimed back.

          Metal began to come through the portal, so dark that Fox had a hard time seeing it against the blackness of space itself.  He started to fire at it, but the cheetah cut him off, and he had to steer his Arwing away to avoid a collision.  Fay’s borrowed Arwing had a missing wing but she nimbly dodged the spray of blazing green lasers and shot at the metal holding the portal together.

         “I don’t think it’s working!” she yelped with fear.

         “We have to try…!” Fox exclaimed. 

          The portal wavered and danced lethally, its contents spewing forth.  The black disc-shaped ship was halfway through within a few seconds, its core marked by a giant eye structure that sent a chill down his spine.  He opted to ignore the cheetah and began firing at it, loosing a bomb.  Its metal did not seem to even dent in reply to the onslaught. On one of his passes, the cheetah caught up to him and he did a loop to throw her off before firing at the eerie ship’s core.  The lasers bounced off of it and the vulpine gave an exasperated sigh.

         “Focus the ship coming out of the portal!” He said but it was no use.  It kept coming, even under the merciless lasers.  The Ghost Echo ships had turned on them now, in a full-force assault.  Fay had to back away from the fight for a moment and in the discord, Slippy was saying something about his Arwing’s engines beginning to stall. 

         Fox tried to remember the last time he had felt this hopeless and he could only think of when Krystal was walking away from him, leaving the Great Fox II after their argument.  He thought of when Peppy, Slippy, and Falco had moved on in the year before the Anglar Blitz.  His trigger finger ached by the time he was done with his final pass, his heart beating in his chest.

         His intercom was interrupted suddenly by a face.  Fox flinched upon instinct as he looked into the shadowed eyes of an ape, eyes a pure and crystalline blue.  His mind screamed that it was Andross, but there was something youthful.  His hair was haggard, his snowy mane joining into his facial hair, trimmed to a point at his chin.  It took Fox a moment to realize he was staring into the face of Dash Bowman, the grandson of his former nemesis and ex-Corneria Defense Force pilot.  The proclaimed leader of Venom.  

          _I guess the apple doesn't fall far from the tree after all._

         “Greetings to all of the Lylat System.  My name is Dash Bowman, Governor of Venom and its colonies,” the ape said.  From the intercom transmission, Fox could see that he was wearing formal attire and his hair was slicked back.  “As some of you may know, at the end of the Anglar Blitz just two years ago, the Cornerian government permitted the re-colonization of Venom to begin, in hopes of uncovering what valuable resources it may have.  The black ship you see before you is a prime example of our handiwork.  We call it the Venom Eye.”

_Where is he going with this?_

        “The Venom Eye is equipped with a laser made using crystals found only on Venom’s surface.  They’re highly potent, I can assure you.  Potent enough that if their energy is combined and you toss in a bit of science that I’m sure none of you care to hear about, it has the ability to destroy whole planets.  It’s hull is forged with the hardest metal known in the Lylat System—another discovery by Gestalt Andross, though never used outside of a test lab until today.  These inventions will revolutionize war as we know it in the Lylat System.”

_You always did admire him, but you knew he was evil.  You knew he was wrong.  Why are you doing this?  What’s the motive?  What’s your endgame, Dash?_

        “A grandiose invasion, a nightmarish ship…. And this message—'What does it all mean?', you are probably asking.  Is this what the media has been waiting for?  Perhaps an answer on that missing general of yours?"  He gave a mighty laugh, his head tilting back. "Perhaps, but you'll have to play along with my game to find out."

       He held up a document, his baby blues glittering with uncanny madness.  “You see, I know the truths of this world.  The truths of the Lylat System.  Copies of evidence and documentation has been sent to the office of Acting-General Peppy Hare to be reviewed.  There is no room for denial.  You cannot argue against facts.”  He set the documents down and folded his hands pleasantly on a desk, a glass of red wine next to him. “If a statement directly from the General of Corneria’s office detailing these truths of Lylat has not been made within 24 hours of this message being broadcasted, the Venom Eye will activate upon Katina, decimating the second-most populated planet in the Lylat System.  The first of many, many casualties if the Cornerian Empire does not take me seriously.”

        Fox’s blood ran cold upon Dash’s smile, “Think carefully on what you want to do next, Acting-General Hare.”  And with that, the broadcasted message was ended.


	3. Venom Eye

            The Cornerian branch of the CDF had arrived too late.  Governor Bowman had pulled his troops back from Katina’s surface and they had passed through the portal, back to wherever they had come from.  General Hare had said nothing of the message, but to simply fall back.  Fox had called for the Great Fox II to deploy and the team sat in the lounge, unnerved.  Miyu had been reluctant to accept the invitation back to their hub, but she did so knowing that sitting on Katina and fretting about her family would not save them.  Even as civilian carriers stood by to be loaded, evacuating everyone off of the planet before the Eye unleashed its cannon was simply out of the question.  Even if they could manage it, Bowman had cut into their radios with a second message—stating that anyone trying to leave the planet’s orbit would be vaporized. 

            Falco was wordlessly making everyone coffee, distributing mugs with a grim look etched onto his beak.  Fay dumped a plethora of sugar into hers, her smile unaffected by the sour circumstances.  Miyu nearly bristled with disgust at the fluffy dog, wondering where her priorities lay.  But she did not voice her contempt and once or twice did she see Krystal shoot her meaningful teal-colored glances. 

            “Well, this certainly isn’t how I was hoping our recruitment would go,” Fox began, scratching the back of his neck. “Sorry you two.  It looks like the interviews are going to have to wait for a bit.”

            “That’s fine,” Fay smiled sweetly.

            “My family is down there,” Miyu said, her stormy blue eyes gazing down at Katina.  _And in less than a day, this entire planet could be ruins…_ Sitting and drinking coffee felt like a waste of her time, but Fox assured her that the CDF was fine with her remaining on the Great Fox II.  She hated feeling idle during a crisis, but she struggled to find something to remedy the situation.  It was all she could do not to throw her mug at them all and tell them they needed to ready their Arwings.

            “I’m sure we’ll think of something,” Amanda said to her, and though the toad’s gesture meant well, Miyu could not muster up even the weakest of smiles.

            “Have we heard from Peppy?” Falco asked.

            “Not yet,” Fox said, “I can only assume he’s figuring something out on his end.”

            “What could he have meant?  The ‘truths of the Lylat System’…” Slippy wondered aloud but no one dared to even guess.  The green toad rubbed his chin with thought before shrugging, “We may find out soon, I guess.  But I don’t think good ol’ Peppy is going to just give in to terrorist demands.”

            “Bowman is holding an entire planet hostage,” Falco said glumly. “It’s not like he has much of a choice.”

            “Unless he’s biding his time, trying to see if there’s a way to destroy the Venom Eye before the clock is done ticking,” Fox suggested.

            “That’s what we should be doing,” Falco remarked and Miyu silently agreed.

            “Bowman has made a move that requires careful consideration,” Krystal spoke up. “If Peppy refuses, Katina will be destroyed.  Its disappearance will cause chaos within the orbits and balance of the Lylat System.  So that simply cannot be allowed to happen.  The lives of more than the Katinans are at risk."  The blue vixen looked pensive as she stared holes through the floor, her turquoise eyes glazed over with thought even as she continued. “But suppose Peppy gives into this agreement.  There’s no guarantee Bowman won’t simply destroy Katina anyways and move in on Corneria.”

            “Bowman… it’s hard to think that’s Dash we saw,” Falco said bitterly. “He looked so different!  He seemed so different! What’s gotten into him?”

            “I don’t know, but when he spoke, I felt… something was off,” Krystal replied, “A malicious aura that reminded me of…” Her voice became a whisper and then fell into absolute silence.  Confusion wrought her eyes then and the vixen searched the empty air for answers.  She was rewarded with only bewildered gazes from her teammates.

            “What does it remind you of?” Fox dared to ask and the vixen looked at him sorrowfully.

            “Andross.”

            The vulpine recoiled at the word, his green eyes hardening, “I was thinking the ships we fought today were familiar—well, the ones other than Ghost Echo.  It makes me wonder how many times we’re going to have to deal with what that madman left behind.  His ghosts, his experiments… His _family_ …”

            “What ever happened to Andrew?” Falco asked, “You think he’s got any part in this?”

            “Who knows,” Fox replied with a thoughtful rub to his chin, “Last I heard, he was in the Macbeth Chasma Penitentiary.  If there had been a change in his status, we would have been informed.”

            “I’m almost disappointed Andrew isn’t in charge of this.  Would’ve been cake to deal with,” Falco remarked.

            “I don’t think he’s smart enough to do something like this,” Slippy pointed out.  "But I've been wrong before!"

            “That’s the point, Slip.  The last time he tried to take us on, he barely got his invasion started before it flopped.  _Hard_ ,” Falco sighed, downed the rest of his coffee, and kicked his feet up on the table. “Bowman always struck me as the type o’ guy that used his head a little more than his mouth.”

            “That could be unfortunate for us,” Amanda commented, then looked at Fox, “Are we going to wait for instructions?  Or should we be planning something?”

            “We can’t move in without Peppy’s approval.  We’d be risking too many lives,” Fox sighed. “All we can do is tune up our equipment and wait for a call.”

            “What’s the CDF doing right now?” Miyu asked.

            “Attempting to keep the peace on Katina.  As you can imagine, everyone across the Lylat System saw the broadcast.  Some of the citizens aren’t taking too kindly to their planet being threatened,” Slippy answered woefully. “Some have even taken up arms and are threatening to fight the Eye if the Cornerians don’t.”

            “That could be disastrous,” Krystal frowned.

            “This is already a disaster,” Fox added glumly.

            A beep alerted the team of an incoming message and Fox accepted it immediately.  Acting-General Peppy Hare’s face appeared in a flash across the TV monitor.  Behind him, Fox could see two bodyguards, armed to the teeth and wearing body gear that made them impervious to most blasters.  Peppy looked aged, his eyes drooping with lack of sleep and distress.

           “Star Fox team,” the hare began, his voice somber. “It’s very fortunate that you are here.  We are going to need all the help we can get, I’m afraid.”

           “Let’s cut to it.  What’s the situation lookin’ like?” Fox asked, leaning forward in his chair. 

           “Well, as Bowman already said, conclusive evidence regarding certain information was released to the Cornerian government,” Peppy began slowly.  Fox frowned at him but the hare glazed over the topic delicately. “The government is planning to release the information to the public in five hours.  This is our back-up measure, on the off-chance that the upcoming operation does not work.”

           “Upcoming… operation?” Miyu’s ears perked. _So there IS a plan…_ Hope fluttered into her heart for a moment and she moved to the edge of her chair with interest.

           “We have a source within Bowman’s army who is claiming he can disable the Venom Eye.  However, in order to do this, he claims he needs someone to hack the security system as well as overload the core generator—a feat that cannot be done by simple means,” Peppy explained.

           “That’s going to be a problem with the lurking Sargasso station nearby.  What’s to stop Ghost Echo from going all out with their station cannons?” Falco huffed, folding his arms. “We’re toast if we go near that thing.”

           “The orbit rate in which the station is travelling and in which the Venom Eye is travelling is different.  In a few hours, the eye will be on the opposite side of the planet.  You have to deal with the weapon at that point,” Peppy answered. “They won’t have any reason to think anything is wrong if you’re careful enough to not be caught.”

_And if you’re not careful, Katina becomes another void in the middle of the Lylat System!_

          “This is going to be tricky,” Fox sighed, but glanced to Slippy. “Those projects you’ve been working on… Are they past the prototype stage yet?”

          “Ehh…” Slippy pondered aloud. “They’re certainly flyable, if that’s what you mean…”

          “Prototype…?” Peppy raised his bushy brows.

          “Those tin cans?” Falco balked. “I wouldn’t set foot in one of those if my life depended on it.”

          “Arwing Interceptors.  They’re my latest invention, equipped with under-radar cloaking devices.  Made for stealth missions, just like this!  When the Gyrocopter won’t work, that is,” Slippy said proudly. “We can outfit up to two Arwings.  I guess the people going to meet the spy can use them.”

          “That would be Slippy and Krystal,” Peppy said firmly.  “Sorry, Fox, but this time, I need to call the shots.”

          “Slippy and—” Fox stopped, looking to the blue vixen.

          She studied Peppy’s face but gave a concise nod.  “Whatever it takes, General.”

          “Yeah, we can do it!” Slippy exclaimed.

          “What should the rest of us be doing?” Miyu asked anxiously, her thumbs fiddling with each other. 

          “We’ll be on standby, in case things go really, really bad,” Fox said to her.  His green eyes moved over her and she could feel he was dissecting her reaction, her stance.  She tried to stay stoic but under pressure, it was hard.  Fox cracked a small smile.  “Don’t worry.  I’m sure Slippy and Krystal can handle this without a problem.” 

          His reassurance did little to soothe her, so Miyu clasped her hands together and she nodded.  She could not manage another word, the thought of her parents fearfully waiting in their homes distressing her.  Fox looked to Peppy, a clasped fist over his chest.

          “Anything else, General?” the vulpine asked.

          “I only ask if things get messy, you try your best to keep us informed.  We have CDF pilots on standby.  They can provide aid if you should need it, especially against the Sargasso,” Peppy said, drawing in a deep breath.  His ears drooped slightly and he scratched behind one.  “Fox, I… I appreciate the help.”  Something about his eyes were distracted, as if searching for the right thing to say.  The hare gave another sigh. “I just hope this is enough.”

          “We’ve made it through thick and thin, Pep, everything will be fine,” Fox said with a smile.  Miyu was not sure how he was doing it, but he seemed at a natural ease in the general’s presence. 

          “Good luck,” Peppy said to him and the screen went blank.

          Silence ensued as their leader turned to them, his tipped ears flicking back.  Falco sipped his drink loudly, ungracefully.  Krystal shot him a glare and Amanda cleared her throat awkwardly.  Slippy was messing with a portal projection pad, a few Arwing blueprints pulled up.  Miyu wondered if those were the interceptors that he had been referring to earlier.  Fay was humming softly, looking out the window at the vastness of Katina.

         “All right,” Fox said, then pointed at ROB64. “I’m going to need some data.  Find out how fast the Eye is orbiting Katina versus the Sargasso.  I need you to calculate when they will be the furthest apart.  Krystal, Slippy, let’s have you two look at the interceptors.”

         “Sounds good.  I’m readying up their systems as we speak!” Slippy chimed helpfully and Krystal gave a curt nod.

          Miyu remained in her seat as the others went off to perform their tasks.  Amanda and Falco exchanged looks for a moment, then the latter hopped up from his chair.  “All right, let’s do our part, too.  Got any weapons on you?”

         “No. Civilians are not allowed to carry weapons,” Miyu said, “Including military personnel that is off-duty at the moment.”

         “Um… I have this?” Fay pulled out a tin can of pepper spray, labeled with the former general’s face on it. “My uncle gave it to me when I graduated high school!”

         “Ohhhh boy,” Falco rubbed his forehead, letting his wing trail down to the tip of his beak in exasperation. “This is gonna be good.”  The bird hopped up then beckoned for them to follow him. “Let’s get you guys outfitted properly.  I don’t think we have armor for you guys, but we’ve got blasters and rifles.”

_Blasters… what good will those do in a dogfight?_  Miyu questioned Falco silently, but trailed along after him.  She was still a guest all the same, so she supposed she should at least act polite.  But all the while, her mind traveled to Katina’s surface, where the CDF was readying for the defense of a lifetime.  She worried for her comrades on the planet and her family, who was likely glued to the television in fervent prayer that the Cornerian government would acquiesce to Bowman’s threats.  Miyu Lynx breathed shallowly as she let her eyes move to the rigid and brown planet that drifted beneath them.  One of her gloved hands touched the glass tenderly, and she saw the window fog slightly. 

        “It’ll be okay,” Fay said from behind her and the feline wanted nothing more than to thrash the ditzy girl.  _How can you be so sure?  How can you be so calm?_  Anger boiled in her limbs but the better part of her won the fight.  She let her shoulders sag and Miyu only responded with a silent nod.

 

* * *

 

 

_The Venom Eye…_

      Ever since it had made its appearance through the portal, something in the air had radiated with ill intent.  There was a stagnant taste in the air, as though dread itself had embraced the Great Fox II.  She could sense its origin in the Venom Eye, its malicious aura seeping through the walls of the mothership.  It was asphyxiating and each breath she took, Krystal fought back a shudder.  She tried to mentally reach out to it but found there was nothing sentient there—simply dark intent in a swirling mass. 

      The hanger greeted them with its usual cold temperature and rows of vehicles.  She passed by her customized Cloudrunner Arwing model.  It had been some time since she had been able to take it out for a flight.  In the past few months, she had not been able to fly it as much as she would have liked.  At first, Falco had questioned their need for specialized ships, as it had cut severely into the budget.  Fox had insisted, however, that they keep the state of the art ships on the off-chance that the Mark IIIs were totaled in a fight.  She let her fingers dance lightly over the Cloudrunner’s hull, silently promising to take it for a spin sometime soon.

      Slippy showed them to the prototype he had been working on.  She had heard a lot about it when she had reached her consciousness out to him over the past few weeks.  It was his new pride and joy, designed sometime after the Lylat Wars.   He wanted to incorporate them into the stealth missions, rather than the archaic gyrocopter, which had begun to clearly show its age. 

      The Arwings he stood in front of were smaller than the Mark IIIs, with large barrels that spread from either sides of the hull.  Its wings were smaller, bent further back for speed.  Krystal walked up to it and examined it—the body was primarily white, with blue at the wingtips.  It was clearly not on its final paint job, but it looked flyable at least.

      “The interceptor,” Slippy said proudly. “Equipped with Twin Alpha Lasers and with a special barrier function that ups its defense if things get a little too crazy!  The Walker function has been added, but it’s still in testing.”  He patted one of the models fondly.

      “Does it pilot like an Arwing?” the vixen asked with a quirked brow.

      “Yep!  Almost the same controls, just lighter!” Slippy answered.

      “Then it will do,” Krystal said.

       Fox gave a nod to them both, tapping a few buttons on the communication device on his wrist.  A screen was projected from it, displaying the information that was streaming in from the Cornerian government.

      “The person that’s made contact with General Peppy is called ‘the Spectre’,” Fox read aloud.  “They supposedly have a way to disable the shield around the Eye.  When the shield is down, then you both will be able to board it.”

     “Board it?” Slippy said, aghast.

     “Yes,” Fox said with a nod. “It has a complicated computer in its core.  It’s primarily run by an AI that receives its orders from a distant source—likely the Sargasso.  But if you shut down the computer, or re-route it so the Great Fox has control over it, then we can rest assured that the Eye won’t go off.”  His green eyes moved between the two of them. “Does that sound like a plan?”

      “It sounds solid,” Slippy said, rubbing his chin. “But I’m going to have to pack a few things in order to hack the computers.  Do you think I could fit Direct-I in here?” He gestured to the cockpit and Fox scratched the back of his neck.

     “Is he done installing the new program?” Fox asked with a slight head-tilt.

     “Oh yeah, he should be done by now,” Slippy said with a firm nod. “I also installed a new voice chip on him.  Well, voice chips, I guess I should say.  Now we can have him sound like whoever or whatever we want!”

    “That’s dangerous,” Fox retorted.

     “Make him sound like Tricky,” Krystal said almost at once, a coy smile about her lips. “And set him as Fox’s morning alarm.”

     “Oooh…!” Slippy began excitedly but Fox cut him off abruptly.

     “What was that about packing?”

     “Right…”

     When Slippy had vanished, Fox turned to look at Krystal, giving her a small shrug.  She did not have to reach her mind out far to know that he was conflicted on something.  The notion curled her lip into a small frown and she tilted her head to the side. 

    “What is it?”

    “Oh, nothing.”

_Worry.  He’s worried._

    Fox removed the projection from his communication device and he gave a sigh.  There was familiarity in the way he was moving, his shoulders giving a melancholy sag.  His tipped ears went back for a moment and he crossed his arms over his chest.  She tried her best not to extend too far and intrude, but her curiosity drove her to thirst for answers.  Krystal crept a little closer to his mind, her teal eyes staring past him.  She was nearing the first wall when he moved and it tore her concentration to shreds.

    “You don’t have to do that,” Fox said to her and her ears went back with embarrassment.  “I’m just worried about your safety is all.”

    “Fox…”

_Just as before, when he forced me to leave the team.  That is the feeling I am getting from him.  The burning worry.  He does not want me to go to a place where he cannot have my back._

    “You cannot control everything.”

    The words came out a bit harsher than she had intended, but they were backed with years of experience.  Apprehension in his eyes made her question if that had been the right thing to say but she held her position regardless.  He drew in a breath, long and dreary and she reached out to see if he was mad.  There was no fiery wrath boiling in him, so she let her body relax for a moment.

    “I know,” Fox confessed.  “It won’t stop me from worrying about you.”

    “There’s something in particular on your mind,” Krystal concluded aloud, shifting her weight. “What is it?”

    “I can understand why Peppy wanted Slippy to help with the hacking mission… but why you?” Fox stared at her. “Do you… know how to hack things?”

    “Not in the slightest,” Krystal said with a chuckle. “But I’m sure he has his reasons.  He’s your friend, your godfather, if I’m not mistaken.  You should trust his judgment.”

   “I guess you’re right…”

    He was not convinced but he relented.  Krystal spent the next few hours on standby in her quarters.  She packed her own belongings, tucking her staff into its holster on her back.  A blaster had been given to her when she had rejoined the team after the Anglar Blitz and she thought it best to grab it as well.  She donned her tan jacket over her blue undershirt and adjusted her circlet accordingly.  For a moment, she contemplated tying her hair back but decided against it and sat at the edge of her bed. 

_The Eye is unnatural.  I’m not sure how Bowman was able to create something like that, but it reeks with evil.  Maybe it’s simply because it comes from Venom…?_

   When the time came, ROB64 greeted them over the speaker and Krystal made her way to the hanger.  Slippy was there by the time she arrived, Direct-I stored behind his seat in a rather cramped fashion.

   “Hello!” chimed the robot in its usual voice, and Krystal breathed a sigh of relief that Slippy had not taken her joke seriously.

   “Are you ready to go?” Slippy asked her and she gave him a nod before finding her way to the other interceptor. 

   She stroked the hull with a hand before she climbed in.  It was as any other plane, a lifeless machine that she hoped would serve her well in the upcoming mission.  The cockpit was the same as the Mark III but she noticed a few functions had been replaced.  The Walker button had been moved to the steering wheel, but Slippy had crudely put tape over it.  Written on the tape were the words “DO NOT PUSH” and Krystal smiled at it.  She flipped a switch and the cockpit began to seal itself.  When she activated the engine, it revved to life with an abundance of energy.

    Slippy appeared on the monitor to her left.  Direct-I’s inquisitive little eyes could be seen behind his seat, peering at her with much interest. 

    “Are we all set?  I did a systems check on both planes before you got here.  They should all be ready to go,” Slippy said. 

     “Seems good to me,” Krystal replied after glancing about the cockpit.

     Fox appeared, clearly seated in the Great Fox control room. “All right.  The Spectre should be lowering the shield any time now.  Be quick.  We’ll have ROB do a countdown of when you all need to be out of there.”

     “PUTTING COUNTDOWN ON RIGHT MONITOR,” ROB64 chimed and Krystal saw the numbers appear.  It was ticking down already, but they had several hours to complete their task.

      _We mustn’t delay long._

     “We’ll keep an eye on the situation from here, but Falco has a few Arwings prepped in case of emergency.  Good luck out there,” Fox said to them and the hanger doors opened.

     The vastness of space greeted them and Krystal’s eyes gave one last sweep over her console before she disengaged from the Interceptor’s hatch.  As the small Arwing began to rise, a message buzzed through the feed.  It was a private link and for a split-second, she distracted herself with it.  Peppy’s face appeared with the flick of a button, his expression grave.

     “This is for your eyes only,” the hare began and Krystal gave him a curt nod.  “When the Spectre contacted me, he requested your presence on this mission by name.  I can only guess what that means.  But I thought you should know.”

      “I will be careful,” Krystal replied. “If he has any ill-intentions, I will be able to sense them long before he acts.”

      “Do you have any idea who it could be?” Peppy asked her.

_There were only a few individuals who viewed the Cerinians with such disgust and distaste… at least that I know of.  And one of them is dead, the other locked away in prison.  We saw to that before the Aparoids were defeated.  Could it be… another Cerinian?_   She did not dare get her hopes up.  When they had escaped Cerinia’s explosion, their measly fleet had suffered tragedy after tragedy… Krystal had been the last survivor of her ship’s crew.  The others had fallen to illness, their separation from the magically-rich environment of Cerinia causing them great distress.  Others had fallen in attacks, particularly against the dreaded bounty hunter Gekkon.  He rotted away on Macbeth now, doomed to serve out a lifetime sentence for the grief and peril he had created.

_It could be a survivor from one of the other ships.  I’ve already encountered one of those before…_ she thought of Panther and how he had shed his Cerinian heritage for the Star Wolf team.  The thought of him brought back more painful memories and she pressed the interceptor into a boost, clearing the hanger.

     “Not a clue, General,” Krystal replied.

     “Stay safe,” Peppy said to her and his face disappeared.

     The interceptor climbed closer and closer towards the Venom Eye.  It was strangely dormant looking, its orblike eyeball glassy and staring mercilessly at the brown planet of Katina.  The closer the Arwing climbed towards the Eye, the more that she could sense the disturbing, swelling animosity.  Her hands clutched the steering of the Arwing tighter and tighter.  Slippy moved his Arwing behind hers and Krystal pushed hers into another boost towards the Venom Eye.  Almost as soon as they had neared the floating weapon, the almost-transparent barrier around it dissipated. 

     “Where do we dock our Arwings?” Krystal wondered aloud.

     “Looks like there’s a spot maybe on its twelve-o-clock?” Slippy guessed.

     She boosted under its gleaming red gaze and shivered.  Krystal found, however, that her companion was right about the docking point.  Her Arwing glided into the small hanger and Slippy followed.  When the hanger door closed and the cold of space was barred out, Krystal permitted the cockpit to open up.  Almost at once, she drew her staff from its sheath and leapt from the interceptor and onto the cold floor of the Eye’s hanger.

     “I’m kind of amazed the Eye is this big,” Slippy beamed as he hopped out, Direct-I tucked under one of his arms.  “This is practically a weapon and a space cruiser!”

     There was only one door leading out of the hanger and so they took it with Krystal at the front.  She could not feel magic in the Eye, but there was something sinister within it.  The first room that they walked into was empty save for the glass cylinders that ran about the walls, like unholy veins.  The liquid within was a poisonous lime green and moved as though it were being pulsed by a heartbeat.  Slippy gently tapped the glass with a knuckle and Krystal sucked in a deep breath as he did so, expecting it to burst over him.  Thankfully, it did not and Slippy pressed his face against the glass.

    “What do you think it is?” Krystal asked him.

    “I’m not sure,” Slippy admitted. “Some unknown element from Venom, maybe?”

    “It looks dangerous.  Be careful,” the vixen said to him and Slippy nodded in agreement.

     The next corridor was identical to the first—long and bland.  The liquid in glass was not present here, but there were lights on the floor to guide them forward.  Krystal kept her staff in both hands as they proceeded forward into the adjacent room.  It was clearly the computer hub and Slippy set Direct-I on the ground.

    “All right, looks like we’re in business!” the toad croaked gleefully.

     Krystal nodded to him and took a step towards the massive computer console in the room’s middle.  The moment her boot struck the floor, her senses extended outward, detecting the warmth of life in the far corner of the room.  She grabbed Slippy and hauled him backwards, blue light emitting from her staff’s head.

     “Who’s there?” she growled.

    The shadows moved.  One foot at a time, the looming man came into view, his face obscured by a mask that had been designed to look like a skull.  The rest of his form was veiled in a black cloak.

    “A Cerinian staff,” his voice was garbled through the evident use of a voice changer.  Krystal’s ears went back and she felt her hackles rise with anger. “It has been some time since I beheld one of those.”

    “Who are you?” Krystal demanded.

     “Are you the Spectre?” Slippy asked.

      “The toad has the right of it,” the Spectre replied.  “I was able to lower the barrier.  You are now able to save the planet Katina.”

      “How were you able to do that?” Slippy inquired with genuine curiosity. “Are you a part of the Venom army?”

      “Such questions when time is ticking onward towards Katina’s destruction,” the Spectre shook his head, pointing a gloved hand towards the computer console. “To the computer, if you will.  I have no interest in seeing the Katinans perish.”

             Slippy nodded, albeit reluctantly, and sat down at the console.  He plugged Direct-I into the hard drive and began typing away at it.  The Spectre turned to Krystal, clearly intrigued beyond his skeletal mask.  As he folded his arms, Krystal caught the faintest glimpse of a blade at his hip, fashioned in the old style of the Outreach.

            _He’s of the old world, at least.  One of the planets that still knows about magic!_

“Why did you request that I come here.  This job could have been done by Slippy on his own,” Krystal demanded.  Her staff was still in hand and for some reason, the vixen could not talk herself into putting it away.

            “The Eye is an unnatural entity, born of powers that Bowman does not yet understand.  He toils to do so even as we speak.  When the toad reroutes its chain of command, it will rebel.  That is where you come in,” the Spectre answered in a low voice. “Its powers will become unstable and it will require the hand of a Sage to stabilize it.”

            “How do you know about that?” Krystal asked, ears back.

            “Because I was friends with one of your kind.  A very, very long time ago.”

            “REROUTING COMMAND TO… GREAT FOX II…. REROUTING…” Direct-I began to chime, his eyes lighting up.

           “We must away,” the Spectre beckoned to Krystal and he opened the next corridor with the slide of a cardkey.  Krystal eyed it warily but he concealed the name upon it before she could read it.  He tucked it into his robes and the two pressed onward, into the next corridor.  A walkway greeted them, suspended above of a seemingly bottomless pit, shrouded in darkness.  The core was present, green liquid bubbling behind its glass.  Krystal winced as soon as she entered the room, the malicious entities seeping through the cylinder and into the air.  She gave a cough and yet, the Spectre seemed not afflicted.

           “What is that?” Krystal asked him.

           “Alemium,” the Spectre replied. “A liquid harvested only on Venom.  It is what gives the planet its toxic atmosphere.”

           “And they’re powering the Eye with it?” Krystal asked.

           “It is… not that simple,” the Spectre began uncertainly.

          “What do you mean?” Krystal asked.  She reached out to his mind but there was a wall.  Her power hit the wall and could not break through.  There was simply nothing to hear, nothing to read.  She took a step back.  _How can this be?  Is he even living?_ Faintly, she heard the man exhale, as if with exertion.  

         “Your tricks will not work,” the Spectre growled. 

_Was he trained on how to block out telepathy?  Is he from the Old World?_

         “What is powering the Eye?” Krystal asked, a bit more forcefully. 

         “You will see soon enough,” the Spectre replied as the lights within the core turned red.

          “UNAUTHORIZED ACTIONS NOT PERMITTED ON VENOM EYE… UNAUTHORIZED ACTIONS NOT PERMITTED ON VENOM EYE…. READYING CANNON IN… FIVE MINUTES…”

         “Cannon!?” Krystal cried out. “You said this would stop the Eye, not activate it!”

         “Be calm!” the Spectre snapped back. “You know nothing, so cease your presumption of knowing everything!”

         Krystal pointed the head of her staff at him. “And why should I?  Who are you?  Take off that mask and reveal yourself!”

         The glass shattered, its spray cutting her cheek.  One of the Spectre’s arms curled around her and she heard him grunt with pain.  A shard stuck out of his forearm and Krystal gently touched her own cheek, feeling the blood as it warmed her fingertips.  From the glass cylinder, the liquid poured out and onto the ground.  Krystal and the Spectre instinctively took a step from it, the latter still clutching onto the vixen protectively.

         Writhing where the Alemium had kept it was a strange, green-ridden creature, its tendrils lashing out with fear-stricken rage.  Krystal watched it as it broke free, violet power swelling about it.  Something about it was familiar to her, the strange, watery noises that came from its agape maw sending chills down her spine.  When it at last dawned on her what corrupted, distraught creature she was staring at, she felt herself wither on the inside and she clutched the charm about her neck in horror.

_A Krazoa Spirit._

       “Do you understand now the plight in which the Cornerians face?” the Spectre asked her.

       The ethereal being screamed in its death throes, its limbs striking the inside of the room.  Krystal leapt back but the Spectre did not, watching the creature with stoicism as its power spread wider and wider.  Its face was marred, its eyes were simply black holes, and its cry was shriller than anything Krystal had ever heard.  Her azure fur stood on end and she whirled upon the Spectre, turquoise eyes wide with fright.

        “How do we save it?” Krystal shouted.

         “You cannot,” the Spectre answered sadly, “Its strength will grow until it cannot be contained by this place.  The Eye will explode and the detonation will reign a fiery, Alemium-filled doom upon Katina.  You must pacify it.”

         “It’s hurting!” Krystal cried out. “How can I do that?”

         “Your powers,” the Spectre said. “Do what you were trained to do.”

_But that was so long ago._

          Tears stung her eyes as she approached the writhing, shrieking Krazoa.  One hand was outstretched, palm opened, whilst the other held the staff in reserved mistrust.  She looked back to the strange Spectre, his masked face ever unchanging, and she prayed to whomever was listening that he was right.  She stepped as close to the enraged spirit as she could without stepping in the toxic green liquid.  It was with great apprehension that she extended her mind to the Krazoa, feeling its despair wash over her along with its pain.  She dropped to a knee before she knew what was happening.

         There was a swirl of wordless language.  She could see images of Bowman as he thrust the spirit into captivity, as the cylinder was equipped into the Venom Eye and the poison was released into the tubes.  The spirit began to change then; Krystal saw the evolution through the briefest of images.  It began to loathe, began to despise all things that thrived.  Its hatred was its power, growing until it felt as though it were going to burst.  The Alemium became its comfort somehow through the constant torture.  Somewhere in the time it spent in the cylinder, the poison became its pleasure, and it began to flourish in the state of depravity and fear.  Now it had burst forth, now it had freed itself… and Krystal could only see images of destruction, of a vengeance against all things that lived.

         She tried to tell it that all would be well—that the torture was over, but the spirit mentally lashed her mind and she recoiled.  Its thoughts pulsed to her images of destroying the Great Fox II, of poisoning Katina until it was the next Venom—an inhospitable wasteland.  She begged it to reconsider but it was bent on its own wrath.  As it began to swell greater, she thrust her own magic at it in a flash of blue light.  It shrank under her power and despite its detesting cry, there was a feeling of relenting, a feeling of wanting to die and wanting to pass on.

          The vixen asked the spirit if it was so angry it would take out millions with it, and the spirit replied with an abundance of scornful laughter.  It was enraged, she felt, it was hurting.  She reached out to it in a soothing manner and the Krazoa snapped back with a mental jab.  It asked her why she cared so much about the others and she said she had friends who were there who did not deserve to die.  The Krazoa was wistful at this reply and she sensed its power stagnating.  It asked her why it had deserved the pain that had been cast upon it and Krystal could not find an answer.  She reached out for it again and it asked her what she was willing to trade. 

          It showed her the image of Fox, dying slowly to the green taint that pulsed in the Venom Eye and it seemed to laugh gleefully when she gasped with horror.  It told her how it did not want to die, just as the beings on Katina did not want to die, but it felt its life-force draining.  That was when the offer was made and her mind was flooded with the image of Katina perishing.  She drew away from the spirit in mild protest as the creature floated nearer and nearer.  There was a way, it told her.  There was always a way.  There was a trade to be made.  It chimed that it could sense the power within her and she blinked and saw herself at the top of the Krazoa Palace, encased in crystal.  She let out a scream of horror and the Krazoa’s power pulsated again, the room filling with dreaded, purple-veiled light.

          “Krystal!  What are you doing?” the Spectre demanded. “Pacify it!  Let us begone this—”

          “I’ll do it!” the words tore from her mouth with great regret.

          The Krazoa’s tendrils brushed a single tear from her eye before it slammed into her chest and she fell backwards, into the Spectre’s arms.  The enigmatic stranger let out a snarl of rage, the last thing she heard before she fell unconscious.  She could feel the Alemium corruption in her body instantly, tearing through her veins with burning wrath.

_That was the mission… Save Katina… I did it, Fox… I did it…_


End file.
